Kazakhstan to restrict religious freedom

[tree_and_leaf]

The draft law, supported by the Ray of Light for the Fatherland Party will place various restrictions on minority 'foreign' religions (in practice mostly non-orthodox Christian), including preventing two Catholic dioceses from publishing or carrying out religious education†, and forbidding children to attend worship unless they have a note signed by both parents.

† Because they treat the dioceses as separate churches, and they are not geographically large enough to count as national organisations.

Comments

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

Presumably the "historic values" give Islam and the Russian Orthodox Church a favoured role, if not a formal institutional one.

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, that's right, though further Googling indicates that while the Orthodox authorities are broadly in favour of the restrictions (opportunists!), Muslim leaders have been more cautious (foreign Muslim missionaries will also be affected by the law)

http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=24298&sec=36&cont=7

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

The impression given is that the measure established Kazakhstan as firmly part of the Russosphere; it will be a Kazakh Islam rather than a broader Islam, and Orthodoxy will be the approved form of Christianity. (As you no doubt know, but I'll say it anyway...) Both have histories in the region as closely identified with the ruler, and it's easy to understand how governments see any religion new to the area as a source of foreign political influence. It doesn't mean that they are right though.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Kazakhstan is probably the world's largest (disguised) absolute monarchy, ruled by the family of the man who was lucky enough to be Party Secretary when the Soviet Union broke up. This is in character - as you say, the two approved bodies just happen to have a tradition of kowtowing to political power. I also see in this another negative result of the mad rise in oil prices: Kazakhstan, like Russia, Iran, Venezuela and other oil-exporting thugocracies, feels less and less the need to be liked by the West.

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

I remember Kazakhstan having an 'opposition' party which happens to be cosily led by the daughter of Nursultan Nazarbayev, and whose election victories were orchestrated by the same machine which supported her father's party...

[tree_and_leaf]

How practical! Saves a good deal of trouble, I should think.

I must admit I didn't know that - bare-faced even by the low standards of modern dictatorships.

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, you can get away with an awful lot if you've got oil (see Saudi Arabia); though of course it is possible to over-do it (see Iraq).

I suppose all you can say about the way the Orthodox church is behaving (other than that it's rather shameful) is that it ties in with the inheritance of Byzantine patterns of a close association of church and state. Not that that's an excuse.